While the fantasy season ended for many in Week 16, there are still a significant amount of Week 17 championships being decided this coming Sunday. It's traditionally a wacky week around the NFL to begin with, and late-season injuries and performance declines make the landscape even more intriguing this year. There are several players primed to enjoy expanded roles in their season finales, while the Trending Down section features a number of big names that collectively would have made for a strong foundation for a Pro Bowl squad a few seasons ago. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at some risers and fallers for a final time in 2018.

Trending Up

Quarterback

Sam Darnold, Jets: Darnold has seemingly turned a corner since returning from a three-game absence due to a foot injury. The rookie has generated a 6:1 TD:INT over the subsequent three contests while completing 66.0 percent of his passes. The latter figure is particularly noteworthy, considering that Darnold failed to garner even a 50 percent completion rate in four of his first nine games, and that he connected on less than 60 percent of his throws in six games overall during that stretch. Darnold's most recent game, a Week 16 overtime loss to the Packers, was his most impressive yet, as he posted new career bests in passing yards (341) and YPA (9.7) while also setting a new high-water mark in completions over 20 yards (five).

Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for close to 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, and the NFL for Rotowire.com, including serving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' beat writer. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports.